title: The role of SerpinB2 in immunity.
abstract: SerpinB2 or plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI-2) is widely described as an inhibitor of extracellular urokinase plasminogen activator. However, the evidence that this represents the physiological role of SerpinB2 is not overly compelling. SerpinB2 is substantially up-regulated under multiple inflammatory conditions, and dysregulated expression and polymorphisms are associated with several human inflammatory diseases. A bewildering array of diverse functions and activities have been attributed to SerpinB2, but despite ≈900 publications in the field, no coherent view of what SerpinB2 does in vivo has emerged. Although SerpinB2 is abundantly expressed by activated macrophages and a range of other haematopoietic and non-haematopoietic cells, SerpinB2(-/-) mice have surprisingly few phenotypes. However, SerpinB2(-/-) mice were recently shown to generate increased Th1 responses, suggesting that at least one function of SerpinB2 is sculpting of the adaptive immune response.
authors.affiliation: Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Wayne A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Schroder
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Major
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suhrbier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D017396:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 2 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D017396:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 2